What relation did Stanford have to the Board of Education that presided over the new national school system? is there any writing analysing how this selection of songs related to a construction of a modern nationalist identity for the UK prior to WW1? How does this selection relate to that of Cecil Sharp? Stanford is known to be conservative in his views. This was an influential book that re-presented working class song (selected by upper and middle class men) to a new generation of children. The free national school system allowed the minds of the next generation (many to be sacrificed in WW1) to be subtly culturally conditioned to an agenda of national unity and homogeneity directed by the dominant classes.
As the other review so aptly states these songs were embedded in the heads of school children Fifty and more years later, masquerading as their own traditional song.

Just amazing to see all those songs we had in school in fifties Britain.